Simplicity
by maggiexmae
Summary: Bella's the new girl, trying to leave her reputation behind her in Phoenix. But when Edward Cullen, the most popular and arrogant boy in school, mistakes her for the other extreme, she creates a plan to show him just how wrong he is. It's simple, really.
1. Chapter 1

**hello everybody! i'm baaack. sorry for those of you who were reading Hero, but it had just been too long and i couldn't really get back into the characters. so instead i come to you with a whole new story - different, but in my opinion, better.**

**and so, without further ado, here it is: Simplicity.**

**Disclaimer:**

**while this story is mine, all recognizable characters are property of Stephenie Meyer. i in no way, shape, or form am trying to claim them as my own. that is all.**

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EPOV

I heard the first bell ring as I was getting out of my car. "See, we have plenty of time." I said to my sister Alice as she jumped out of the passenger seat, almost fast enough to make the colors on her shirt blur together. She ran towards the huge oak front door of the school, weaving gracefully through the crowd of teenagers that were jockeying towards their respective homerooms.

_Weaving gracefully? God, I'm not skipping English nearly enough this semester…_

By the time I had picked up my books (all props of course, I rarely go to class anymore) Alice was already inside, no doubt telling all of her fashionista friends about how horrible I am.

Not that any of them will believe her… They've all already enjoyed the 'Edward Cullen Experience' as I like to call it. I show off my skills a little, make sure they show me their skills a little bit more, and make them scream just a little bit more than that…

Oh, who am I kidding – I make then scream a _**lot**_.

Then I tell them that I don't want to make things awkward with my sister, and so we should keep things just between us. And it works every time.

"What are you looking so smug about?" asked my best friend Jasper, noticing the grin on my face as I met him at the mouth of our hallway. "Oh, nothing," I said to him very nonchalantly, "just thinking about Alice's sleepover last week – and how her friend Jessica barely slept at all…" My smile widened.

"Geez, another one, Edward? When do you ever stop?"

He had stopped walking down the hall and was looking at me wide-eyed, legitimately curious as to whether or not there was a limit to the number of girls in our school that I would jump into bed with. Naturally, there wasn't. I'm just too good to stop. I won't quit while I'm ahead. But wanting to ease some of the tension hanging in the air, I turned to him and said, "Yeah, I'm sure there is. This is probably just a phase."

It was true enough, I guess. Sleeping with my sister's friends, with high school-aged girls, was a phase that was bound to pass – once I got to college. Because then I'd have college girls to sleep with.

I suppressed the urge to lick my lips at the thought of going to some far away university. Jasper would definitely notice that. And he definitely wouldn't approve of it.

So I started looking for something to distract me from the thoughts that I knew should be saved for somewhere other than the classroom, a point made even more clear by Jasper's easily read face. He was disapproving, that was easy to see. At least it was for me, but I've always found it easy to figure out what other people were thinking. Not to mention Jasper's innate ability to make everyone around him feel what he does.

Jasper's disappointment got me thinking for a minute – _maybe_ this was something that I should stop… I mean, look at Jasper's reaction. Most people would probably react like that, too. And Alice. Oh, Alice. My sister might be heartbroken if she found out. Although, it would most likely explain to her why her friends all seem slightly jumpy whenever they come over to our house nowadays…

I guess I really should stop going for my sister's friends. I love my sister, and while I like to bug her sometimes, I would never do anything to really upset her – I care about her too much. That, and she'd probably kill me if she ever found out…

Oh, who am I kidding? She'll never find out. I've put many plans in place to ensure that fact. And why would I stop screwing Alice's friends? The 'Future Fashionistas of America' are the hottest girls in the entire school. And they know how to show it off just right, too. Designing and making their own outfits that are the perfect colors for their skin tones, the absolute best fitting to show off all their curves…

Oh great, now I have to distract myself again. Umm, algebra. I'm going to algebra when I get out of this homeroom. Algebra. With variables and exponents… Okay, I'm fully distracted now. Math is enough to kill anybody's mood. Except for maybe the nerds. I wonder if the geeks would get turned on if a girl were reciting the quadratic equation to them… Weird…

Personally, I find algebra completely pointless. When am I going to need to factor a quadratic equation ever again in my life? I'm not going to be sitting in some dark room writing fucking operating programs for computers or some shit like that. I'm going to be living the life. Parties, women, drinking, more women.

Essentially, I'll be doing what I do on the weekends now, but I'll be doing it full time. Perfect, no?

Just as I finished that thought, the bell rang, and it was off to algebra class for Edward.

I walked up the flight of stairs to the math wing and into my classroom, plopping my bag down in between my desk and the empty seat beside mine. I sat on the front of my desk, turning away from the door to talk to my friend Tyler about a party that he was planning while his parents were out of town for the weekend.

The second bell rang, but Mr. Giardi had yet to walk into the room, so I stayed where I was sitting. Not two seconds later, I heard an "Excuse me…" muttered from behind me. At first I thought it was Mr. Giardi, but then I realized that he wouldn't have been mumbling, but instead commanding me to seat in my seat correctly. I turned around to see a girl standing behind me. She had brown hair that fell in waves down to the middle of her back, and big brown eyes that looked into mine more deeply than anyone's ever had.

Basically, she was the most beautiful creature that I had ever seen.

I managed to stop staring at her long enough to form a coherent thought. "Yes?" I replied, wondering what this wonderful girl could want from me.

"Is this an empty desk?" she asked timidly, pointing to the vacant chair to the left of mine.

"Actually, yes," I replied, "it's the only open seat in the room."

I shot her my signature smile and watched as she fumbled around for words, although that may have just been her nervousness.

She squeezed in between my desk and what I guess was now hers, and her hand grazed my arm, sending a shot of electricity up my arm and straight into my heart.

A shot to the heart? Who am I, fucking Bon Jovi?

To recover, I thought up a line that I had been saving, just to get under the skin of the right girl, and man, was she perfect.

"Nice to meet you, Mary." I said to her, acting as if she had told me that that's what her name was. It was the only way I could think to describe what she looked like – a virgin Mary. In fact, the innocence that she exuded could almost be described as sickening.

Except, she was so beautiful that nothing she did could be considered sickening…

**so, tell me what you think! i like both positive and negative feedback. new chapter in about a week, maybe a week and a half at the most..**

**~maggie mae**


	2. Chapter 2

**hello everybody! okay, so i know that i said that i'd update in about a week, but bella just wanted to get her side of the story told so much that i couldn't hold her back.**

**so here it is: simplicity, chapter 2**

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BPOV

Okay, this is it. Starting over. Leaving Phoenix behind me. I mean, yeah, I miss my mom. Who wouldn't? But I needed to get away from that place. I couldn't take the snickers, the comments behind my back, the rumors. I couldn't stand the stares and the judgments. I couldn't stand that place anymore. I had to get out.

So I went to live with my dad in Forks, Washington. It's not exactly ideal, but I can live with it. It's definitely better than Phoenix.

I guess I should set this straight – I love Phoenix. I love the heat, the sun, the dryness of the air. But the people, the people were horrible. Pretty much every single kid at my high school in Phoenix considered me the outcast. I was dubbed the "school bicycle" – you know, because I get ridden the most. Stupid fucking teenagers and their stupid fucking rumors. Yeah, okay, so I like to have fun. So I like to have sex. Did no one ever consider that it was WITH MY BOYFRIEND! Nope. They just heard that lost my virginity, and somehow overnight I was trading sexual favors for stupid things like other kids doing my homework. What the fuck is that! I would not stoop that low, and the fact they all think I would is just ridiculous.

And then, believe it or not, it managed to get worse. Suddenly, I didn't even get anything in return, I was just the biggest slut to walk the planet.

So anyway, here I am in the middle of nowhere, where it's always cloudy, trying to _not_ look like a whore. I think I did okay today, wearing a crew neck shirt and a simple pair of jeans. Once I got to school for my first day I went to the office and got my schedule and map, and was told that there is a homeroom every morning before first period. Okay, I can deal with that.

After homeroom was my first class – the real test of how I'd fit in here and what impression I'd make. And, of course, this class had to be algebra. Fucking algebra. I hate it. It's almost as bad as geometry. Not that I'm not good at it, because I am. Mostly since the last few months I was in Phoenix I avoided people at all costs, giving me plenty of extra time to learn everything I could ever dream of about math. I get there, and the room is mostly full with teenagers planning on how to spend their weekends. Apparently this one kid named Tyler has his house to himself for the weekend, and is throwing the party of the year for this little podunk town.

Not that I'll be going. Nope, I'm going to avoid the party scene for a while, try not to come off as too easy. Because the last thing I want is for people here to get the wrong impression.

Because I don't have anywhere else to go…

Anyway, I get to algebra and most of the seats are taken. There's one that looks open next to some kid sitting on his desk with his back to me. His hair is the weirdest color…

I didn't want to seem to forward, to give him any inclination whatsoever that I wanted anything more than to ask a question, so I opted to act shy so that I'd be easily forgotten. "Excuse me…" I muttered, wanting him to just tell me that the seat was free so I could sit down and blend in.

And then he turned around.

His hair, the color of which had seemed so weird before, now appeared to be the most intriguing combination of red, brown, and a little bit of gold, combining to make a shiny bronze color that was definitely unique to him and him only. His eyes widened, I assume in surprise because he hadn't known I was there – in my effort to blend in with my surroundings I was also trying to make as little noise as possible, even with the steps I took.

He responded, but only just after the amount of time that would make it understandable that he was surprised. He took just a second more than most people would, and that second hung in the air until I heard his response.

"Yes?" he replied, seeming genuinely curious as to what I could ever want to do with him. Well, at least I knew that that was one boy who wouldn't be going after me. I'd like to think of this as progress.

"Is this an empty desk?" I asked, pointing to the seat to his right and wanting this to just be over. The less attention I drew to myself the better – I don't trust people very much. I learned not to long ago.

"Actually, yes," he said, "it's the only open seat in the room."

He then gave me a smile that made me want to abandon all pretenses of seeming shy. That smile could probably make my knees quake if I looked at it for more than half a second. I went to thank him, but seeing that dazzling, crooked, panty-dropping work of art, I couldn't form the words or even the thoughts. I didn't know who this boy was, but he was ruining my entire plan for this place.

I gave up trying to thank him, worried that if I opened my mouth all that would come out was drool, and went to go sit down. The desks were pretty close together, I'm assuming because no one usually sat here and so he didn't have to worry about personal space, so I had to squeeze between his desk and the empty one that now belonged to me.

My hand accidentally brushed against his arm as I was fitting in between the desks, and it shocked me like electricity. It was like a little lightning bolt, running up my arm and into my chest.

I'm sure he didn't feel it and that it was just a trick of my mind, and so I ignored it and just kept going until I was all the way in my seat, waiting for the teacher to enter the room.

Just as I sat down, he turned to me and said "Nice to meet you, Mary."

Mary? Who the fuck is Mary? _The name's Bella, dipshit. And if I didn't come to this stupid to get away from who I was before, I'd kick your ass just for saying that._

Oh… Oh wait… Oh, shit. Shit shit shit shit shit. No. It's like that episode of Gilmore Girls – he called me Mary because he thinks that's what I look like – a Mary. As in, the mother of Jesus. As in, the ultimate virgin. He thinks that I'm the most innocent person he's ever seen.

Who the fuck does he think he is to be making that judgment? If he knew what it was like back in Phoenix…

You know what? Maybe I'll show him just how wrong he is… I'll keep it discrete – there's no need to make it public, I still want to start over from Phoenix, but I am no virgin Mary, and he's going to learn that the hard way…

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**ooh, bella has a bit of a dirty mouth, doesn't she?**

**so there it is - review, review, review! please, i'll use your feedback to make the story better, plus i just like to know what my readers think of it.**

**until next time,**

**~maggie mae**


	3. Chapter 3

**i'm baaack! i just can't stay away - this story is writing itself faster than i could have ever hoped for. thanks to all my readers for the support - you guys are awesome!**

**now on with the show!**

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BPOV

Okay, so here's the plan. I need a partner in crime – someone to help me out on the inside. Someone he knows, that might have something against him. And in a town this small? I don't think it'll be hard at all…

I walked to my next class, still scheming, and when I got there the teacher directed me to a seat near the back of the room, next to a girl named Jessica. At first she acted like I didn't exist, like she was in a completely different class than she was and that I wasn't even good enough to be sitting within 10 feet of her.

Her outfit looked like it was tailored to her body, and if she had a rich daddy like she acted, it probably was. She was talking to a spiky-haired boy on the other side of her; I think his name was Mike something…

Anyway, when Ms. Greenberg, the Spanish teacher, called the class to attention, the room settled down enough that I could hear a little bit of what she was saying.

"And he made me swear that I wouldn't say anything, but I just needed to tell someone…"

"Jess," the boy named Mike started, "you know, I'm not really the best person for this kind of thing…"

"Fine," she huffed, "I'll just find someone else."

"Umm… Jessica, right?" I could tell that she was my inside source, and I didn't even have to search for her – she just found me. I knew I needed to bill this just right to get her on my side.

"What do _you_ want?"

"I want to make you a deal."

"Oh yeah? Like I would ever want anything that you would offer."

"I think you might."

"Try me."

"You need someone to talk to in this class that has more than one X-chromosome."

"Maybe that's true, but what do you get out of it, new girl?" She sneered the last two words, making sure that it seemed like she was holding the cards.

"I need someone to show me around. You know, tell me who's who around here and who to avoid."

"And why should I go along with this?"

"Because I need to know the right people, which you seem to be one of," I needed to suck up as much as I could if this was going to work, "and you need someone who'll listen to you more than Mr. Golden Retriever over there."

She stopped to think for a second, and I let her take all the time she needed. Pressuring her would not be smart right now, because she did, in fact, have all the power in this situation.

After about thirty seconds, she turned to face me completely and said, "Okay, you've got yourself a deal. But your job starts right now."

"Done."

And just like that, I had my in.

"So what is it that you so desperately need to talk about?" I asked, making sure that there was sincerity showing in my face.

And that one question started it all…

"Okay, well I know that you're new here, but even someone who's only been here for an hour will have noticed the Cullens."

"The Cullens?"

"Apparently not…" She made a face like she was reconsidering our deal, but then changed her mind and started talking again with much more enthusiasm.

"Okay, this will be your first lesson. The Cullens are a family. First, there's the oldest brother, Emmett. He's looks like a body builder, you can't miss him. Then there's the younger brother and middle child, Edward. He's gorgeous. I'll point him out to you at lunch – it's a crime to have never seen his face. And the youngest is their sister Alice, but she's only younger by a few minutes since she and Edward are twins. Get it?"

"Yes."

"Good. Moving on. So Alice is a friend of mine. A very close friend of mine, actually. There's a whole group of us – we're all going to be fashion designers when we're older. We all plan to go to design school and then to after we graduate open up our own shops somewhere. For example I want to go to L.A. and Alice is going to New York. Point being, we're all close.

"Anyway, the real story here is that on Friday night I slept over at Alice's house – we did each other's nails and wore fluffy pajamas and watched romantic movies, the works. We went to sleep around midnight, but we had done so much that I had worked up an appetite. So I went to the kitchen to get a snack before bed, and he was there – _waiting for me_."

"Who?" I asked. I knew now that she wanted me to look and sound interested, and I was all too willing to comply. This deal was working out for me much better than I had ever imagined it would.

"Edward!" she both screamed and whispered at the same time, looking around swiftly to make sure that no one had heard her.

"He had his grin on his face – it's his signature. And that grin just makes my insides melt, which I guess is the point of it, but once I saw that grin I was helpless. I forgot all about my snack and all I could think of was him.

"Edward led me upstairs to his bedroom, and my GOD the things that he can do… I swear, his tongue must be magic or something…." She started to stare off dreamily, so I snapped my fingers in front of her eyes.

"Hello, Jessica?" She was staring off into space, no doubt remembering her sexcapade with Edward Cullen.

"Oops, sorry about that… Now where was I? Oh, right. So afterwards he tells me that he doesn't want to make things weird with Alice, and so we shouldn't tell anyone. Which I guess I'm okay with. Well, except for now. But that's just 'cause I needed to tell _somebody_. But I won't tell Alice. And you can't either, okay? You can't tell another living soul, get it?"

"Got it."

"Good."

"Chicas! Se puedeís escuchar, por favor?"

"Sí, Señora Greenberg," we said in unison, looking back towards the front of the room.

And with that, the deal was cemented. I had something over Jessica Stanley that she couldn't deny, and now I could get whatever I wanted.

And what I wanted was to get back at the guy in my math class. I just had to figure out who he was first…

When the bell rang at the end of Spanish, the halls were bustling full of kids on their way to lunch. Jessica ushered me in to the cafeteria and over to a table full of girls dressed just as impeccably as she was, with one standing out from the crowd. She was petite, and I mean _really_ petite, about 5' 2", and her clothes looked like they were hand-stitched by Giorgio Armani himself.

"That's Alice!" Jessica pointed towards the pixie that everyone else was crowding around. "That's Emmett," she continued, as if it weren't weird at all that she was just describing the Cullen family to me, "and that's Edward."

She pointed to a bronze-haired boy across the room, and my eyes widened in surprise…

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**review review review! please! they keep me going and put a smile on my face. =]**

**until next time,**

**~maggie mae**


	4. Chapter 4

**hey there kiddies, i'm back! i'm really enjoying writing this story, and i hope you're enjoying reading it. it would really nice if you guys would review and let me know what you think.**

**so we're in bella's head again for this one, but for the next one we'll get a taste of both.**

**see you at the bottom!**

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BPOV

_That_ is Edward Cullen? The Edward Cullen from Jessica's story? The jackass from my math class? Oh, this is just too fucking good to be true.

"So," Alice starts, breaking me out of my daydream, "why are you staring at Edward?"

"What? I'm not…" I trailed off, embarrassed for being caught in the act.

"Yes, you were. There's no use denying it – I know these things."

Damn, for someone who was so small, Alice was already getting to be a major pain in my ass.

"Okay then, your point?" I asked, just wanting to get this over with.

"Do you want to come over after school?" Does she have ADD or something? Because that was a complete non sequitur. "Because I could do so much with you! I could curl your hair and make you an amazing outfit, although that might take a few days, and do your makeup, and it could be so much fun! I'm so glad that you asked Jessica to show you around – we're going to be the best of friends!"

"Look pixie, unless you're going to help me memorize a bunch of really obscure facts about the Civil War for my history class, I'm really not interested." I didn't mean for it to come out as bitchy-sounding as it did, but hey, that's what happens. Amazingly, she seemed entirely unfazed and just kept right on as if that's what she expected me to say.

"Well, I don't, but I know someone who does. He's one of my brother's friends, and he's a complete history buff. Yay! I'm so glad this worked out! I'll follow you home in my car and then drive you to my house right after school! Oh, this going to be so much fun!"

Wait, what just happened?

She turned back to her friends and started talking animatedly about the latest issue of Vogue or the newest Prada shoes or some other shit like that. I stood there dumbfounded until my stomach rumbled deafeningly, and I snapped out of it and went and got myself some lunch.

I sat at the end of the table, trying to eat my food without being noticed while words like 'Gucci,' 'Chanel,' and 'Dior' floated around the air.

The bell rang, and I jumped up, happy to be free from my prison of future fashion designers. Because that's what it was – a prison. Every time I made up my mind to get up and leave, it was like Alice knew what was going to happen and dragged my into the conversation just enough to prevent me from moving.

When lunch ended and the bell rang, I was up out of my seat as fast I humanly possible, trying to leave before Alice saw me.

But alas, she caught me as I was passing next to her and a girl named Lauren Mallory – I think Lauren ratted me out. "I'll see you this afternoon, Bella!" she called after me, and I was forced to give her a small wave to acknowledge that I had heard her.

The next few classes went by in a blur, all a mess of having to find me a seat or (even worse) introduce myself to the class. I hate it when teachers make new students do that. And yet, here I was, forced to do it twice today.

When the final bell rang I happily got up, collected my books, and left the building, eager to get home and just relax. Of course I had forgotten about Alice…

"Bella, over here!" she tweeted as she flagged me down just as I was getting to the edge of the parking lot. "I'm guessing that the old truck over there is yours – it's the only car I haven't seen before. And it totally looks like it fits you. I mean, it's so vintage, and I can totally see you in vintage things. Maybe the outfit I make you will be inspired by the '20s or something!"

God, there was just no getting her to stop, was there? Wait, outfit? She was serious about that? Who makes someone that they just met an entire outfit from scratch? Apparently, Alice Cullen does…

I got in my truck, a 'welcome home' gift from my dad – not that this is home to me, but he wants it to be – and drove home. Alice waited in her car while I dropped my backpack inside and got my purse, which she automatically started criticizing as soon as I got into her car. "Geez, how old is that thing? That looks like it could have belonged to my grandmother. Except she had much better taste than that… It's such a good thing that you met me, I'll turn your fashion sense right around, don't you worry."

And with that we were off, driving away from houses and towards the edge of town. After about ten minutes, just as I was starting to wonder if we were actually going anywhere or if she was just going to kidnap me and make me her own personal Barbie doll, she turned down a dirt road that I probably wouldn't have seen on my own and her smile got bigger, if that were even possible.

After another few minutes we broke out into a clearing, and came up to the biggest house that I had seen in my entire life.

I mean this house was fucking huge. A mansion. Or maybe a castle. Well, less of a castle and more of a fortress. Except that it was the most welcoming fortress that ever existed.

We pulled into the gigantic garage, which could probably have fit about ten cars, but was only a little more than halfway full, and Alice led me through a door and into the living room.

I don't think that words can describe the amount of money that the Cullens have, because I don't think there are names for numbers that high. The room was huge, with a big fancy leather sectional couch around a wooden framed glass coffee table, all strategically placed in front of a TV so big it looked like it belonged in a movie theater.

"Come on, we don't have all day!" I heard Alice shout from halfway up the staircase on the other side of the room, her face looking as if I were ruining her life's dream.

We went up to the second floor and through the first door on the right, into what I assumed was her bedroom because it would have been very weird if one of the brothers had a room painted pink. She led me to the corner and opened up a set of double doors into a closet that I'm pretty sure is bigger than my bedroom.

She took me over to a section of the wall where everything was black, because of course her closet was color-coded, and to the end of the rack where the jeans were housed. Well, at least I'd still get to me be wearing nice, comfortable jeans, right? Wrong. She pulled out a pair of slightly faded black skinny jeans, saying to me, "You're lucky that I have a few extra long pairs hanging around," as if it were my fault that I was taller than she was (which isn't very hard to accomplish).

Then she took me to the blue wall, stopping at the front where the darker blues were. She took out a couple of deep blue shirts and then went over to the shoe wall. Yes, this girl has an entire fucking wall for shoes. I don't know why, it's insane. But she does. Anyway, she grabbed a couple of pairs, not even bothering to ask me what my shoe size was, and proceeded to walk out of the room, expecting me to follow her.

When I made my way out of the closet, she had laid out all of the shirts on the bed on top of the pair of jeans and with the shoes sitting beneath them on the floor, facing outward. She told me to pick a top, and so I picked the one that looked the least like it would suffocate me with its tightness, a tank top with a cowl neck. At least I think that's what it's called…

"Oh, good, I thought you might pick that one. Although you picking it out was just a formality, I would have made you wear it anyway, but still, it's good that you agree."

Who _was_ this chick? And why did she think that she could go around forcing other people to wear certain clothes?

Once the outfit was agreed upon, including her choice of these terrifyingly high heels that I'm bound to fall over in, knowing my coordination (or lack thereof), Alice led me into the bathroom and sat me in a chair in front of the counter. Before my butt even hit the seat she was digging through bags of makeup and hair accessories. I just sat back, closed my eyes, and waited for it all to be over.

After what seemed like hours, she finally told me that she was done and that I could get up, but not to look in the mirror so that I wouldn't ruin the surprise. She ushered me quickly into her room and I changed from the robe she had lent me into the outfit still sitting out on the bed.

"Alice, are you sure these pants are the right size? They seem too small."

"No Bella, they're skinny jeans!" she said like I was supposed know that I wouldn't be able to bend my knees, "And I was _so_ right – the vintage wash was just perfect for you!"

I got the shirt on as well as the -gasp- shoes, and she towed me downstairs, not even stopping to let me see how I looked.

As we neared the bottom of the stairs, we could hear shooting noises coming from the living room. "Boys…" Alice sighed, looking as if instead of them playing video games they had run over her puppy.

We got to the bottom of the stairs, and turned into the living room, where I saw and unfamiliar blonde color sitting next to an all too familiar bronze one.

The boys heard us once we reached the bottom of the stairs and turned around, their jaws dropping as soon as they saw us.

Do I really look that bad?

**so there it is, chapter 4. please pelase PLEASE review and let me know what you think - it only takes a couple of seconds, and what my readers think means a lot to me, since this story is for you guys. ****i really hope i hear from you!**

**until next time,**

**~maggie mae**


	5. Chapter 5

**hello my lovelies. sorry it's been so long - last week i had midterms, plus all of this snow has been throwing everybody off. but enough excuses, on to the story.**

**so we get back into edward's head for a little bit here. hope you all like it. let me know if you do by reviewing after you read!**

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BPOV

"And who would this lovely lady be?" asked the blonde in a slight southern drawl, getting up off the couch and offering me his hand.

"This would be my new friend, Bella. And she doesn't need some cowboy like you trying to get her clothes all dirty, 'kay Jazz?" Alice had been teasing, and the boy had pretended to be hurt, covering his chest as if he'd been shot.

"Well I was just trying to be nice, little girl, but I can see I'm not welcome." The smile on his face was a smug grin.

In return, Alice stuck her tongue out at him.

Turning to me, she said, "Bella, this is my Jasper. Jazz, this is the new girl, Bella. She and I are going to be the best of friends!" She had started out civilized enough, but it didn't take long for her natural bubbly-ness to shine through. She ran up to Jasper and jumped into his arms, and he kissed her on the cheek.

I felt like I was intruding, so I turned away. And Edward was still staring at me wide-eyed with his jaw hanging open.

Seriously, is there something in my teeth? No, Alice had checked those. Did she make me look like a clown? I still hadn't had a chance to look in the mirror…

EPOV

Jasper and I were playing Black Ops, and I was kicking his ass, when we heard the girls at the bottom of the stairs. Alice had brought someone over, and of course Jasper would want to see Alice whenever she was around, so that meant the end of the game.

We put our controllers down and got up and turned around, and what I saw shocked me. Alice had made a new friend apparently, and brought her home to show off the massive walk-in closet connected to her room.

My jaw dropped. All on its own. I couldn't have made it go back up if my life depended on it – I was too distracted by the beauty of the girl now standing in front of me.

But this one looked familiar… But I had met all of Alice's friends at school, so where would I have seen this girl before?

And then I looked into her eyes, and I met two big, wide brown eyes looking at me like they could read into my soul. Alice had said that she was a new girl, right? I vaguely remember hearing that in the distance.

This was the girl from my math class.

What was she doing here? How did she know Alice? Why was she suddenly dressed like Alice? Why was I suddenly so enthused by the fact that Alice plays dress-up with her friends?

Her shirt was the perfect color for her skin, this amazing deep blue, and her jeans were so tight they made her legs look like they went on forever. The heels certainly helped, too.

Her brown eyes looked even bigger with whatever makeup Alice had put around them, and her hair was styled with perfect waves.

Essentially, she looked perfect.

"Bella, is it?" I asked her, not having known her name before. But damn, did it fit. Bella means beautiful in Italian, and I'll be damned if she wasn't the most beautiful thing that I had ever seen.

"Yes. I'm glad that you have it right. You seemed to be mistaken today in math."

Well, she was a feisty one, wasn't she.

"Math?" Alice butted in, "You're in the same math class? What did he think your name was?"

"Apparently Edward here was under the impression that my name was Mary. But at least now he knows the error of his ways." She said this to Alice innocently, but she had a glint in her eye, as if she knew what it actually meant.

Jasper choked on the sip of water her had just taken and eyed me apprehensively. He knew what "Mary" meant. And apparently, he didn't agree. I couldn't blame him. She definitely didn't look like the epitome of innocence wearing _that_.

"Oh well, Edward can be stupid sometimes," she said as if I wasn't even there, and then, turning to me added, "So, you saw her earlier, what do you think of her transformation?"

"I think she looks, great, Alice. Anybody you dress does." I might as well be a little bit nice – she was befriending this new girl who I couldn't seem to stop staring at. And it's not like I was lying. Not at all. But she didn't look great – she looked amazing.

"You know what we should do!" Alice shrieked, "We should initiate her into the group!"

"Alice, you know, I really don't know if that's a good idea. Isn't her dad the chief of police? What if she tells him?" I eyed Jasper meaningfully, trying to get him to back me up. But of course, the prick can't do anything that would upset my sister, and so he just stayed silent.

And it's not like I didn't want her in the group – of course I did. She'd even out the numbers, and since the other two pairs were couples, maybe I'd even get something out of it. Party games get a lot more interesting when everyone's paired up. And fuck if I didn't want to hit that. Maybe she was still a Mary, and just dressed up in new clothes. Yep, that's gotta be it. After seeing her in class earlier, there's no way that she's done anything even remotely risqué.

"I'm not a snitch," jumped in Bella, looking almost offended, "I like to have fun, and I can keep a secret."

Finally Jasper came in with something helpful, looking at her and saying, "I don't know what you're thinking we do for fun, little lady, but I'm not sure that you know what you're getting yourself into."

"Isn't it better to let me find out for myself, rather than to not give me a chance?" Bella countered, seeming a lot different from the nervous, insecure little girl that I saw in math.

She couldn't be less innocent than I thought, could she? There's no way.

And you know what, I have an idea. I'll make sure that she's not a Mary anymore. I mean, she is a friend of Alice's now, I guess I should properly introduce her to what that means…

I hope Alice invites her to stay the night soon, because when she does, she's in for a treat.

I'm pulled out of my musings by the conversation that's playing out in front of me between Jasper and Bella. Alice seems to want to let it play out on its own, and she always has her reasons. I guess I shouldn't interfere and instead just sit back and watch how it turns out.

"Do you really want to get into this? Once you're in you can't get out. Well, I guess you can, but it'll never be the same for you."

"What, are you afraid of letting someone else in? Afraid that I'll think your little club is too pathetic and then I'll leave?"

"You wish. But I don't think you can handle it. You can dress the part, sure, but can you play the game?"

"Oh you bet your ass I can. In fact, I'll prove it." Bella was certainly all worked up now, and I was curious to see what she would do next. Turning to Alice she said, "This group of yours, how does one join?"

"Well," Alice said, pretending to sound doubtful but really grinning from ear to ear, "we've all had our different entrances. Mine was the grandest of course, but Emmett won't let it go that I upstaged him and still insists that his was the best way to get in."

"Alice, your point?" Bella seemed impatient. I was starting to get there, too.

"Oh, right, sorry. Well, really, the major thing is that everyone has to meet you and then approve of you."

"How many people are we talking here, shorty?"

"Hey now, there's no need to be mean," Alice said smiling, "There are five of us total, and that includes the three of us standing in front of you."

The front door slammed loudly, announcing Emmett's arrival home.

"Make that four of us."

"What's the four of you?" Emmett asked, stuffing his face with whatever food he had brought in with him.

"The four of _us_," Alice told him, pointing at everyone in the room but Bella, "and Rose, of course, are the group. Bella wants in. You up for it?"

"Hell yes! Fresh meat!" Emmett said, a huge smile breaking out on his face. He may look menacing, but anyone who knows him knows that my brother's just a big teddy bear.

"Okay then, it's settled," Alice said, taking control of the conversation once again, "call Rose and get her over here. We're going to have some fun tonight…"

**

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well? let me know what you think - all it takes is just clicking on the little line of text that says 'review'. i've barely gotten any reviews, and the few i have gotten haven't had much substance. so PLEASE let me know what you think. your feedback helps to make the story better. =]**

**~maggie mae**

**p.s. - if any of you are interested in learning more about the girl behind the story, i just got a tumblr. check it out if you feel like it. **_maggiexmae . tumblr . com_** just get rid of the spaces. that is all. =]**


	6. Chapter 6

**hey everybody! i'm SOO sorry that it's been so long. i'm not even going to bother to try to explain it to you, i'm just going to give you the next chapter.**

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BPOV

Not half an hour later, I was sitting in the middle of a circle made up of Edward, Jasper, Alice, Emmett and Rose, and I was preparing myself for the Spanish inquisition. I knew that they were going to try to make me uncomfortable, because that's how these things always go, and I needed to have some lies on hand. Not that I didn't want to be honest with these guys, especially if they were inviting me to be a part of their exclusive "club," but I just had to learn if I could trust them first, so I had to make up some half lies that would allow me to tell the truth later without being accused of being a liar.

They had me sitting on a lazy-susan-type-thing so that they could easily spin me around from person to person whenever they wanted.

I just hoped that I wouldn't get dizzy and pass out…

That would suck.

While thinking to myself, I didn't notice that Alice had gotten up and was walking across the room. Suddenly the lights went out, and I was in a very vulnerable position.

I was spun around incredibly quickly, so much that I had no idea which way was forward. Someone spoke, but it sounded like half of their voice was coming from behind me and half from above me.

I tried to breathe evenly and concentrate on the person talking.

"Isabella Marnie Swan," one of the guys started to say.

"Emmett!" a girl hissed – definitely Alice – "Her middle name is Marie, not Marnie!"

"Oops, sorry," Emmett said, and so he started over, but by then my head had started to settle a bit. "Isabella Marie Swan," he began again, but now the magic was lost and I was trying not to laugh at how serious he was trying to sound, "you are about to face a series of challenges, and you must pass each one to proceed to the next."

I thought that he was reading from a script, but he sounded so sure of what he saying that I couldn't imagine it possibly coming from anywhere other than his own head.

"Each one of these challenges will be given by one individual person, and each person will give a challenge."

Instantly I was spinning again, losing any semblance of balance that I had managed to regain, and being caught completely off guard in the process.

I was jerked to a stop, almost falling off of my spinning seat, and slapped in the face. Not hard, not at all. It wasn't mean, and it certainly didn't hurt – it wasn't meant to – but it was still being hit in the face.

My eyes had been closed from spinning, and I opened them when I was fairly sure that it wouldn't happen again. I had a straight face and while I was putting on a calm mask, I was ready to defend myself if it happened again. I mean, what the fuck kind of test is this?

"There you are, little lady," said Jasper, staring straight into my eyes, "how're you feeling?"

"Like I just got hit in the face," I said to him, my voice purposefully dripping with the sound of annoyance.

"And…? What do you want to do about it?" He started to get excited, as if he was expecting me to do something specific.

"I don't know yet. I'm still evaluating my options," I told him truthfully. "What's my test?" I asked, ready now for a tough challenge. I could tell that Jasper was testing my threshold for pain, and while I wasn't looking forward to it, I wanted to prove that I could handle it.

Suddenly, all five of them burst out laughing.

"Okay, she passed mine. Next." Jasper said with a smile on his face.

Wait, what? What the fuck? How was that a test?

"How was that a test?" I reiterated my thought, completely dumbfounded.

"Darlin'," said Jasper, still a hint of laughter in his voice, "the test was seeing how you would respond. You kept your cool. There wasn't a hint of hostility rollin' off of you, and I have a knack for telling these things."

"Oh, you 'have a knack,' do you?"

"Yes, I do. Now as I said, NEXT."

And I was spinning before I could even think.

After what seemed like hours of spinning on this things, in the dark, with my eyes closed (but was really only a minute or so, I think, because any longer than that is just stupid), I was stopped again. I waited to open my eyes until my head felt more stable and not like it was about to fall off of my neck.

When I finally peeked my eyes open just a little bit, the lights were on, and Emmett was sitting there waiting for me.

When he saw that I had finally looked up, he stood up faster than I ever would have thought was possible for someone that big, grabbed me, threw me over his shoulder, and started walking.

I couldn't tell where we were going, since a) I was upside down, and b) I was still didn't know exactly which way was up from all that spinning.

Emmett set me down on a stool at the kitchen counter and sat himself in the one next to me.

"Make me a sandwich," were the only words that came out of his mouth.

"You-, you're kidding, right?" I asked, more than a little bit of disbelief in my voice. So far, these "tests" had been way too easy, and asking me to cook? That was like asking a ballerina to point her toes.

"Woman, I said MAKE ME A SANDWICH!"

"Okay, okay, I'm going," I said as I got up off of my stool, "Where's the bread?"

"Oh no, you don't get any help. You have to do this all on your own."

Well, that explains how it's a test. That, and that I have to make a sandwich that Emmett will like. But that wouldn't be hard – I learned how to be an amazing cook long, long ago.

I set about my task at a fairly relaxed pace, opening all of the cupboards and drawers and finding out where everything was. I took out a frying pan and put it on the stove, and went and took the bread out of its drawer. I got out two slices of 12 grain, and put one in the pan, turning on the burner. This was just too easy.

I got the meat, cheese and lettuce out of the fridge, also grabbing some mustard from the door when I closed it. A slice of cheese went on the bread in the pan, so that it would start to melt, and then two slice each of ham, turkey, and roast beef. Oh, Emmett was going to like this. Another slice of cheese and then just a little bit of lettuce finished it off, and I let it sit for the cheese to melt.

I put the other piece of bread on top with just a drop of mustard inside and flipped the sandwich over, hearing it plop back into the pan. After the other slice of bread was toasted, I put my creation on a plate and turned around, placing it right in front of Emmett.

I went to the fridge and took out the orange juice, pouring us each a glass, and sat down next to him where I had been before.

He first stooped down to be eye-level with the sandwich, getting in as close as he could. He flipped it upside down and pulled back the edge of the bread, examining the melty-ness of the cheese.

Next he sniffed it, and weighed it in his hands. He brought it up to his mouth and took a bite, and then, he froze.

Emmett didn't move for about 30 seconds, and then, he exploded.

He jumped off the chair and bounced up and down, still holding the sandwich in his hand. His eyes were wide, and even with the bite of sandwich in his mouth he had the biggest shit-eating grin on his face.

"Okay," said Jasper, "I'll tell you right now that you passed this one. Let's just move on to the next person because if we wait for this stupid oaf to be done, we'll be waiting forever."

So the rest of us filed back out of the kitchen and sat how we had been before, except I was spared the spinning this time, instead just sitting in the middle of the circle.

Alice sat down facing me, smiling with a little bit of mischief glinting in her eyes.

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**hope you liked it! let me know what you think by clicking on that little review button right at the bottom of the page. it doesn't take very long, and they mean a lot to mean and help the story to be better.**

**so tell me your thoughts! i can't wait to hear them. =]**

**~maggie mae**


	7. Chapter 7

**hello everybody, and welcome to the latest installment of "i'm sorry this took so fucking long and i will gladly grovel on my knees to get your forgiveness" - hosted by... me!**

**okay, enough shit. i really am so desperately sorry that i haven't updated since february. life has been hectic, i graduated high school, got into college, went on a three-week life changing trip to europe, turned 18 (woo-hoo, i'm legal), and then, after all that, i got a new computer, and it didn't come with word on it, so i had to wait to buy a copy.**

**but enough of my excuses, here's the chapter.  
**

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**BPOV**

Alice stared me straight in the face, and I couldn't seem to make myself blink or look somewhere else. It was like she was daring me to look away, and I wasn't going to let her win the stare-down.

Finally she stood up, my head all the way up to her waist even though I was still sitting, and looked at me expectantly. I can take a hint, so I got up and followed her away from the circle, and she led me to her room.

We were back in her massive closet, and just when the confusion was starting to make itself shown on my face, she told me what my challenge was.

"You, my dear, have to know how to dress yourself if you're going to be spending time with us. We go out a lot, and you can't count on me to dress you every single time. The test right now is for you to dress yourself like we're going to go out to a club, and you can't have even one bit of help. You can leave your makeup the way it is for now, but you'll be expected to do that on your own, too."

She started to walk out of the closet to go wait for me in her room when she suddenly turned around, adding, "Oh, and Bella? You have to look HOT," making sure that I knew that I was being held to a high standard.

I looked around her closet (which I'm now definitely sure is bigger than my bedroom) and started to examine what she had in there. I figured that since Alice was so short, most of her pants wouldn't fit me, and so I went to a section of one wall that had all of her skirts hanging on a rack.

I decided on something skin-tight would probably be best, since I was supposed to be dressing to go out clubbing, and so after five minutes of peeling off the jeans that Alice had forced me into, I pulled on the tight dark brown skirt.

Next I chose to go for a red shirt, picking a halter that would make my B cups look a size bigger, which seemed appropriate for going to a club. At least, it was in Phoenix.

I grabbed a pair of dark brown ankle boots with a two-inch heel from Alice's wall of shoes, grateful that we were the same size.

I finally got a chance to look in the mirror and appraise the makeup that Alice had given me. She had done something to make my usually wide eyes look impossibly bigger, and my lips were a little bit darker with the faintest hint of some sparkles.

I thought I'd do okay and pass Alice's test, but there was only one way to find out.

I stepped out of the closet…

…And was immediately tackled by Alice.

"Oh, I knew you could do it! I'm so proud of you!" Alice was practically screaming, I was surprised that the neighbors didn't file a noise complaint.

I assumed that I had passed her test, and it was confirmed when she danced down the stairs singing, "She passed, she passed, she passed!" with a huge smile on her face. Rose was at the bottom of the stairs, and seemed mildly impressed by my ability to dress myself but didn't say anything.

She had changed, and so had Alice, which I hadn't realized until we got downstairs. The boys weren't around, and when Rose saw me looking around she simply said, "They're changing too."

The three boys filed downstairs a minute later, all dressed up. The first out was Emmett, his muscles bulging out of his shirt, obviously trying to make an impression. Jasper was behind him, wearing a polo shirt that happened to perfectly match Alice's outfit.

With Alice being involved, I doubt it was an accident.

Then came Edward. My breath left my lungs and I couldn't get it back. He was wearing a dark blue and green striped button down shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone and light jeans that hung low on his hips.

I wondered why everybody had changed, and to answer my unasked question, Rose said, "turns out it wasn't hypothetical. We're going clubbing, bitch."

With that she turned around and started to walk out the door. I stood frozen where I was.

"What, are you chicken?" she asked when I didn't follow right behind her.

"What about my dad? What do I tell him when I get home in the middle of the night wearing clothes that aren't mine?" I replied. I didn't want to get off to a bad start with him when I had just gotten here.

"Calm your tits, you're dad's already taken care of."

"Calm my tits? And what do you mean, 'taken care of'?"

She decided to ignore my first question and told me that while I was changing she called my dad and told him that I was having a sleepover here with her and Alice.

And with that, we were out the door and into the massive garage I caught a glimpse of on my way in with Alice earlier.

Okay, so it wasn't quite as huge as I originally thought, but it was still a seven car garage.

There was a dark grey Hummer, a sleek, shiny silver Volvo, a bright yellow Porsche, a vibrant red BMW convertible, a Harley Davidson motorcycle, and a couple of empty spaces.

It was decided that we'd take two cars since there were six of us, and not enough room for all of us in just one car. I went with Rose and Edward in Rose's BMW, and Alice, Jasper, and Emmett went in Emmett's Hummer.

We drove to the nearest club we could find, a new bar called 'Eclipse' about 40 minutes from Alice's house. The place was packed because it was still new and exciting and therefore the place to be.

We pulled into parking spaces right next to each other, and got out of the cars.

I followed all of them right up to the bouncer, who did some sort of handshake with Emmett and then let us all in, hearing the groaning from the people still in line outside.

Apparently the Cullens had connections.

We walked inside, and the club was packed. Bodies everywhere. It was like the living room of the party I had been to that night when… Well, there's no need to dwell on the past and what came of it. I'm here now, that's all that matters.

Rose led us all up a staircase in the back to a VIP room that was practically empty, with a huge window overlooking the dance floor.

A waiter came over to take our drink orders, and I was surprised when they all ordered mixed drinks and there wasn't a hint of surprise on the waiter's face. He didn't ask for ID's or anything.

The Cullens definitely have friends in high places.

I ordered a Captain and coke, and the party was underway.

After about 20 minutes of all of just sitting there, sipping our drinks and chatting, Rose stands up and says, "Okay, she can handle the pace I live at. She's good by me."

And last, but certainly not least was Edward's test.

I looked up into his eyes, and they were shining back at me with what looked like confusion. Like he wanted to ask me something but didn't want to do it in front of everybody else. He stared at me for a second, and then seemed to make up his mind.

**EPOV**

I knew what I wanted to do for her test. I wanted to make her lose some of that innocence. Not that it seemed like she needed me as much as I had thought. That outfit was entirely too showing for my taste, and her boobs looked _amazing_ in that shirt.

I was contemplating asking her to dance, when she looked up at me with those big brown eyes and made up my mind for me.

Rose tested her ability to cope with any situation, I was going to see how well she could fit into any situation she was put into.

I ordered a round of tequila shots from the bartender and he brought them right over. Bella never broke eye contact with me as she downed her shot, shuddering a little at the taste.

I stood up, holding out my hand for her to take. I didn't even have to say anything, and she took my hand and followed me down onto the dance floor.

The place was crowded with what seemed to be everyone in Seattle, but all I could focus on was Bella.

A new song started and she began moving her hips to the beat a little bit, almost subconsciously it seemed.

The bass for the song got louder, and her movements became more pronounced, until suddenly she was dancing in front of me like she did it for a living.

Not very innocent looking, if you ask me. Now I just had one more theory to test out.

I reached out and grabbed Bella's hips, turning her around quickly and pulling her up against me. She kept dancing, and if I'm not mistaken, she even got a little bit more into it.

We kept grinding against each other for the next few songs, until we agreed that we each wanted another drink. We went back upstairs to the rest of the group, who looked seemingly unsurprised at what had just happened. Although I guess that's to be expected – they do know who I am and what I do.

After we sat and rested, and Bella and Alice made a run to the bathroom, everybody decided that it was time to dance, and off to the floor we went.

Everybody paired up and Bella didn't hesitate to push herself right up against me this time, creating friction in ways that I hadn't even realized were possible while dancing.

My hands snaked their way down her sides and settled on her hip bones, pulling her even closer to my body.

I just couldn't take it anymore. Maybe it was the alcohol, or the fact that I was really horny from dancing like this, but I wanted Bella in that moment.

I turned her around quickly, and before she even had a chance to realize what was happening, my lips were on hers.

Her mouth was soft, her lips supple and inviting, and to my surprise, she didn't even hesitate to respond to my actions in kind.

Okay, so I think I'm slowly coming to terms with the fact that she's not as innocent as I first thought. But then why was she dressed like she was in school today?

I decided that it was now my mission to find out, as well as to see just how un-innocent she really was.

But in the meantime, I was just going to keep kissing her until she told me to stop.

Unfortunately, she didn't even get the chance to decide that for herself before she was whisked away by Alice and Rose.

The only thing I could think to say as she was pulled away from me was, "You passed."

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**i really want to thank any of my old readers if you've stuck through this with me. i promise it will never happen again, i'm going to be cranking out chapters as fast as they pop into my head.**

**if you're a new reader, i thank you for joining me on this little journey i'm taking in my head, and hope that you stick around for the ride.**

**please take the time to review and let me know what you think.**

**the next chapter will be up within a week.**

**~maggiexmae**


	8. Chapter 8

**hello everyone! i have some good news, and i have some bad news.**

**the good news is that i'm planning on updating as close to once a week as i can get. also, i got over 600 hits on this story after posting the last chapter! =]**

**the bad news, however, is that out of all of those hits, one one person reviewed. ONE. it's really upsetting to me, because i like to know what my readers think of my story.**

**so here's the deal. i'm going to post this chapter. i'm going to write another chapter, and keep to my writing schedule of approximately one week.**

**HOWEVER. i WILL NOT post another chapter until i get some more reviews. lets see, this story has 18 reviews right now, so how about i won't post another chapter until i get a total of 30 reviews. that means that out of more than 600 hits, only 12 of you need to review for a new chapter to be posted. that's not so hard, is it?**

**so here it is, chapter 8.  
**

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BPOV

"So what, do you like him? Is that why you wanted to get in with us? So you could get Edward? Are you really that low?" Rose practically screamed at me as soon as we got into the bathroom, ignoring the stares from the other women who were fixing themselves in the mirrors.

I flinched at her words. This was reminding me of how people saw me in Phoenix. Not good.

"Rose, calm down," Alice came to my rescue, "can you say you've never kissed a guy in the moment?"

"This has nothing to do with me."

"Yes, it does, Rosalie. You only care now because it's Edward."

"He's like a brother to me, Ali. And if anyone were to ever hurt him," she added, turning to me, "I might just have to hurt them back."

I made a mental note to never get on Rose's bad side.

Alice pulled Rose over to the other side of the room, where they thought I couldn't hear them.

"This could be good for him," Alice said, "I have a feeling that she's different from the other girls. I think that she could turn into something real for him instead of just a quick fuck."

I wasn't quite sure of how I wanted to think about that. I mean, I knew that Edward seemed pretty full of himself, and cocky, and like he could get any girl he wanted to, but I hadn't realized that meant that he actually _got_ every girl he wanted to. And more, it seemed.

And what did Alice mean that 'I could be more for him?' How would she know? She just met me today, for fuck's sake.

While I my thoughts were wandering, the two girls had come back to join me near the door. Rose didn't apologize, but I hadn't expected her to. She gave a curt nod to let me know that she was pacified for now, and we went back out into the club. It seemed even more jam packed after the comparatively less dense bathroom. We didn't see the boys out dancing anymore, so we went back upstairs to the VIP room, where they had sat down and ordered another drink each.

EPOV

The girls had run off, with Bella being dragged behind Rose like a dog that didn't want to keep walking.

The kiss between Bella and I had been electric, and I never even got to ask if it was alright with her, she was just whisked away by my sister and Rose.

"What's up with Rose?" I asked, turning to face Emmett and Jasper.

"Hell if I know," was Emmett's reply. I turned to Jasper.

"Why are you asking me, dude?"

"Well, she _is_ your twin sister."

"That doesn't mean we have fucking telepathy."

"Okay, okay, sorry. Geez."

Emmett broke through the tension, pointing up to the VIP room and saying, "I'm going to get another drink. You guys in?"

"Only if it's something strong," was my only reply, and we headed back upstairs.

A couple shots of tequila later, and all three of us were feeling much more relaxed. The girls came back upstairs with no explanation of why they had run off, and it didn't seem like they had any intention of ever telling us.

Bella sat next to me hesitantly. Like she was afraid I was going to tell her not to. It reminded me of the shy girl I met in my math class, the one I called "Mary." Not the Bella I had met and danced with tonight.

Not the Bella I had inexplicably kissed.

I still don't know why that happened. What made me want to? Well obviously, she looked so hot in that outfit she was wearing. But there was something more. It was like that electric shock in math class, but this time it was more of a slow tingle. The kind that made me miss it once it was gone.

It was awkwardly silent for twenty minutes. No one said a word. The tension was unbearable.

Finally Emmett made some comment about going down to dance, and Rose got up and went with him, Jasper and Alice following them after a minute.

And Bella and I were left alone, sitting next to each other on a couch.

"So…" I started to say, but my mind came up blank. I didn't know what to say…

BPOV

"So…" he started to say. Nothing came out afterwards. I don't think there was anything that either of us could say to get rid of the tension. You could feel it in the air, a giant pink polka dotted elephant in the room.

I turned to look at him, and he turned to look at me, and we just stared into each other's eyes.

I hadn't realized we were both leaning closer until he was so close that I could feel his breath on my face.

I looked up into his eyes, and saw nothing but honesty. And a little bit of confusion.

I was confused, too. What happened to the arrogant guy I met in math? It almost looked like he wasn't real. Like that was just a mask, hiding this real person inside.

Of course, who was I to say that? He could have been that pompous jerk from early and this was all an act to get in my pants.

Oh god, that's it.

He just wants to get into my pants.

I'm nothing but the new girl, the one that he wants to fuck and then brag about his conquest while never talking to me again.

But… The way he was looking at me, it just seemed so real, so genuine.

I needed to sort this out. But before I could escape the club to catch a cab home, Alice caught me trying to sneak away and pulled me back into the club and onto the dance floor.

The two boys headed upstairs, and I was forced to keep dancing.

Finally, around 2:00 am, everybody decided to call it quits, and we returned to the cars and drove back to the Cullens' house.

I realized that my dad already expected me to stay the night there, and that he would ask questions if I showed up at the house at this hour of the night, so I figured I'd just sleep in the spare bedroom and make my escape in the morning.

But Alice had other plans. She had done her room up for a full slumber party – there were sleeping bags on the floor and fluffy pillows everywhere. And don't forget the stuffed animals strategically placed around the room so that there were always at least three in anybody's line of sight at all times.

We laid down on our stomachs with our heads pointing towards each other.

"So… do you have feelings for Edward?" Alice asked me, her best puppy dog eyes in place.

"What? Are you kidding? Alice, I just met the kid today. It's not even possible for me to like him yet.

"Plus," I added after a small pause, "even if it were possible, I don't know if I would. He's one of _those_ guys. The guys that get any girl they want and then throw them to the side. I don't want to be some guy's conquest. I am not just a fuck."

By the end of my little rant, I was angry. It was just memories of Phoenix, and how I was treated there. I don't want that. Ever again.

I started to reevaluate my plan. Maybe I didn't want to sleep with Edward to prove to him that I wasn't innocent. I mean, he probably figured it out after tonight...

But either way, I have a pretty strong feeling that if I did sleep with him, that he'd tell all of his friends that he banged the new girl.

But I want to wipe that smirk off his cocky, arrogant face.

Okay, that's it. I've decided. I'm following through with this.

I'm going to sleep with Edward Cullen.

Not tonight, obviously. It doesn't look like I'll be making any form of escape from the "girl cave" tonight.

But someday.

After a full night of pedicures and makeup and so many clothes I think I could fill a swimming pool, Alice and Rose finally let me drift off to sleep, whispering to each other (probably about me and Edward) as I did.

I suddenly woke up in the middle of the night, really thirsty. I snuck my way downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water as quietly as I could.

And what I found there was totally unexpected.

Edward was standing at the counter, leaning over with his hands running through his hair.

The counter was covered with a bunch of different ingredients. Different kinds of bread, cheeses, meats, and condiments, and everything else that you could imagine.

"Edward?" I asked quietly, not wanting to startle him.

"What?" he snapped, sounding annoyed.

"...Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," he said defensively, "I just woke up hungry and I don't really know how cook at all."

"Do you- Do you want some help?"

I thought that offering to help with cooking – something I could do – was the least I could do after all of the confusion that I had caused earlier.

"Sure," he said and sighed deeply, ashamed of accepting help but knowing that he needed it.

"What were you trying to make?" I asked, thinking that that was probably the best place to start.

"A sandwich," was his only reply.

Okay, let's try this again. "What kind of sandwich?" I asked, trying to get him to just tell me what he was doing so that I could help him. But he was just too busy acting like a small child.

"…A good one," he said after a long pause.

A good one? Really Edward? I know that you can do better than that.

I looked at what he had on the counter. I figured a simple ham and cheese sandwich would do, so I put it together and asked him if he wanted it toasted.

"Yes, please."

At least he was polite enough to say please. I didn't expect that.

When the sandwich was done, I put it on a plate and cut it in half for him, and he went to the fridge and got out the carton of milk, pouring us each a glass.

He offered me half of the sandwich that I made in thanks, and I decided to take him up on that offer.

We sat in silence while we ate, occasionally glancing at each other, but never actually speaking. We finished our sandwiches at about the same time, put our plates in the sink, and went upstairs to our respective bedrooms.

With my full stomach I fell asleep quickly, and for the rest of the night I had weird dreams about Edward Cullen and professional chefs.

I woke up in the morning with a fairly bad headache, a hate of all things that produced light, and a stomach doing somersaults.

I made my way downstairs, but only got the couch before I had to stop for fear of insides emptying themselves all over the Cullens' floor.

The worst part? We still had school today.

Yes, we slept in. Jasper (the most responsible of the group in my opinion) woke up a little bit early and called the school to say that we'd be in late. Something about car troubles or some other bullshit like that.

Whatever. I got to sleep, so I don't really care what he told them.

I went to the bathroom and found the Advil and swallowed it with a handful of water from the sink before returning to the living room and passing out again on the couch.

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**there it is! please review and let me know what you think! it only takes a minute of your time, and they mean the world to me. they also put a smile on my face and motivate me to write faster. =]**

**until next time (which is hopefully next weekend),**

**~maggie mae**


	9. Chapter 9

**Okay. So it's been a while. And I never got to 30 reviews. But I don't really care about that. I'm just trying to finish this up and move on.**

**So here it is, Chapter 9:  
**

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BPOV

I don't remember who, but somebody forced me to wake up, get dressed, and go to school.

I didn't like it.

All of the lights were too bright and the voices were too loud, but I managed to make it through the day.

Alice wanted me to come over again after school, but I told her I couldn't. I had to go home. I wanted to shower, and I bet Charlie wanted to ask me about my night.

I got home, and Charlie wasn't even there. Figures. He's working a double shift, probably.

I took this as an opportunity to sleep more.

When I woke up, I heard the TV playing a baseball game downstairs, alerting me to the fact that my dad was home.

I went down and sat with him in the 'Family Room' (which is really his man cave) and noticed that it was already 5:00 pm. He was watching a Mariners game, and looked up when sat down.

"You've been sleeping since I got home," he said to me with a grin on his face, "the girls keep you up late last night talking about boys?"

He was clearly mocking me, but after the night I had I didn't feel like trying to have a comeback.

"Yep. Real late night. Alice kept me up for hours."

"So you've been making friends, Bells? That's good," he said to me, turning a little bit more serious.

"Yep."

I didn't really know how to respond to him other than that. Neither my dad nor I have ever been especially wordy, a trait I actually got from him, and our conversations are usually short and to the point.

After sitting there in silence for another five minutes, I figured that it was acceptable to leave, and went back upstairs. My phone started ringing almost immediately.

Alice? I didn't give Alice my number… That little pixie must have snuck it in while I was at their house.

…Damn, she's good.

"Bella!" She was screaming into the phone. Typical Alice.

"What Alice?" I asked, a little bit of sourness creeping into my voice.

"I want you to come over again after school tomorrow," she said, and before I could protest she added "No sleepover this time, I promise. I just want to hang out a little. Chill."

"Fine, Alice," I replied while rolling my eyes, "I'll see you tomorrow."

I walked into Algebra the next morning having forgotten that I sat next to Edward. I avoided his line of vision for as long as I could, but I had to scrape by him to get into my desk again.

"Hey, Bella?" He asked, almost as if her were embarrassed, "I, um, wanted to apologize. For the whole 'Mary' thing. It was rude of me, and I'm sorry."

Who was this and what had he done with Edward Cullen?

EPOV

Time went by in a blur after that night. Bella sat next to me in algebra, we usually didn't talk. She spent her days after school up in my sister's room, with music blaring. Always Alice's top 40 radio poppy songs that made my ears ring. She slept over every couple of weekends, but I never really saw her. She was the first one of my sister's friends that I didn't try to seduce.

I didn't know what it was about this girl. Why didn't I want her? I mean, of course I wanted her. She's sexy as fuck. But I don't want her to be just another girl, another notch on my bedpost. I wanted to take her out. On a date. To a restaurant. Maybe a movie.

Something real.

I've never felt like this before. I don't know what this is. We sit next to each other in class, but usually don't talk. I don't know what to say. I feel like anything that comes out of my mouth will be snarky, like I would say to a normal conquest.

But she's not normal, and she's not a conquest.

She's beautiful.

BPOV

He's staring at me. He has been all class. Just looking at me, as if he had something to say, but can't think of the words. It's a little perturbing. I mean, what is it? What does he want to say to me?

We haven't really talked since the night at the club. I don't think either of us has an idea of what to do now. My plan to seduce him is at a standstill because I'm barely interacting with him at all. I guess I have to step up my efforts, but I don't where to go from here.

Maybe I should just abandon this plan anyway. It seems different between us now, even if we don't talk. There's something there. That tingling feeling I get when we're in close proximity. It makes it feel wrong to try to bring him down.

It makes me want to not hurt him. It makes me want to see if I can take this slow burn and get it to rise in temperature. I'm curious about it. I'm curious about Edward Cullen. I want to know his secrets. I want to know his fears, and his hopes and dreams, what he thinks about when he's alone at night.

Wait. Fuck. I have feelings for Edward. Shit. That was not how this was supposed to go.

I can't believe this. And he's still looking at me. Well, sort of glancing out of the side of his eye now, but he's still just sitting there, focusing on me, and I've this entire fucking revelation.

This changes everything. My friendship with Alice? Completely different. What if she can tell the difference in me? Is there a difference in me? I don't even know.

This is confusing.

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**Hope you liked it. Let me know what you think! The box is right below. =]**

**~Maggie  
**


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